Melissa Brooks5 said:I’ve actually had experience with both. I got my first one when I was just 14—they told me it would fade away after eight years (though I read an article in Teni once claiming it would only last three), but honestly, it’s still incredibly clear today. It’s just a tiny bit lighter, more of a dark charcoal gray rather than a deep black. I’m not quite sure what the "smart" move is here; it looks great right now, but I can't help but wonder how it’ll hold up years down the road. As for the pain, it didn't really hurt much—maybe a little irritating, but that was about it. The price tag back then was pretty steep, around $25 for a fairly small piece. Nowadays, prices have leveled out, just converted to modern US dollars.
I got my most recent one about a year and a half ago, right in the middle of my back. I went to Tattoo Washington, D.C., over on Tratinski Street (it used to be just Tattoo Washington, D.C., but they’ve since merged with Gandalf—they’re easily two of the top-tier studios in the city). I have to say, they were incredibly professional; they are extremely strict about hygiene, and everything felt perfectly sterile. It hurt like crazy because he was working right over my spine, but he managed to wrap it up in just thirty minutes. I paid $300 for it, and it’s about 4 inches long.
Both of them get on my nerves sometimes, and I find myself wondering occasionally what I’ll look like one day as an old lady covered in tattoos... yeah, maybe not the coolest look, but I just hope by then laser removal becomes a lot easier to deal with.🙂
I have one on my leg... put it on there seven years ago. They said it would start fading after three years, but it's still as dark and nice as it was during the first year. 😉
And I don't regret it at all. I love it. 😍
I also have a real one on my shoulder from two years ago, and it's still pretty dark.
Tattoos are just part of who I am, so I wouldn't change anything. 😉